Derelict hotel to be turned into social housing

A derelict hotel in a seaside resort is being demolished, with social housing to be built in its place.

Torbay Council agreed to borrow up to £20m to fund the Hotels to Homes project.

It launched the scheme in November 2024 with the purchase of the former Brampton Court Hotel in Torquay, and it is now in the process of demolishing the Seabury Hotel in the same resort.

The council said all of the homes it built would be provided to households with a local connection to Torbay and rented at a price that is "affordable to people living and working in the area".

The Brampton Court and the Seabury sites would each provide 14 homes for social housing, said the council.

It said it hoped to provide up to 75 affordable homes every year over a five-year programme.

The Hotels to Homes project was designed to help employers such as the NHS attract staff to work and live in Torbay.

The council said the scheme would also "deal with some of the prominent run-down, derelict or abandoned former hotels and guest houses that can be found throughout the bay".

Alan Tyerman, cabinet member for housing and finance, described the project as "a growing programme of council housing".

"We are working hard to understand how we can make the most of this opportunity to deliver well-designed, high-quality new homes that will benefit the people of Torbay," he said.

"The acquisition of the two schemes so far is evidence of our commitment to make a real difference to people's lives by taking action to increase the number of homes for social rent."

The council's cabinet agreed on Tuesday to approve up to £20m of borrowing to fund the scheme.

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